Published: January 28, 2026 11:44 am
The three Goldenstein nuns and their spokeswoman now apparently want to take legal action against the operator of the sisters’ high-reach Instagram account. The man refuses to delete the page despite being asked to do so, even though the religious women want to withdraw from the public eye – also on the recommendation of Rome.
On Tuesday, the Viennese media lawyer Maria Windhager sent a warning letter to the operator of the sisters’ high-reach Instagram account on behalf of the three nuns from Goldenstein in Salzburg and their spokeswoman and asked him to delete the page. “The account was initially operated with the consent of the nuns. But they would like to withdraw more from the public – also in the spirit of a solution with Rome,” she told the APA on Wednesday.
However, the operator of the site has not yet responded to requests to immediately delete the account and sign a cease and desist declaration by January 30th. “If he doesn’t delete the account today, we will immediately file a lawsuit and apply for an injunction,” explained Windhager. At the same time, the man also suggested in a posting that the spokeswoman was responsible for the alleged lack of donations. This claim is also being contested.
Canon law advisor: “Muddle is counterproductive”
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After the complaint against the spokeswoman for the three sisters on suspicion of embezzling donations, the nuns’ canon law advisor also tried to be objective on Wednesday. Only three people who did not want to accept the reduction in activities on social media and who were no longer part of the team of helpers would cause unrest, said Wolfgang Rothe in the APA interview. “The mess is counterproductive for the nuns.”
The 58-year-old is a pastor and theologian in Munich, no stranger in church circles, and has been representing women in canon law matters since last fall. In early December, he addressed the Vatican on behalf of the women and suggested that a new apostolic commissioner be appointed for them. “There was no communication whatsoever with the provost Markus Grasl, who is responsible for the nuns. So no solution can be found.”
The request from Salzburg was received very warmly in Rome, and an answer was received just a few days later. It stated that efforts were being made to find a “fair, humane and sustainable solution” for the nuns. “The letter also invited the sisters to appropriately reduce their outside activities, i.e. to withdraw a little from the public and social media. I recommended that they should follow this,” said Rothe.
“Advertisement is pure theatrical thunder”
The operator of the sisters’ channel – the “nonnen_goldenstein” account now has 287,000 followers on Instagram alone – would have rejected this. “He and two other helpers do not want to accept that less activity on social media is in the spirit of the sisters in light of Roman writing.” The account manager simply continued against the nuns’ wishes, reused old content and also used the channel commercially for advertising purposes. That’s why he was banned from the house.
The current statement of facts against the nuns’ spokeswoman has now come from the corner of the three people. “The ad is pure theatrical thunder,” emphasized Rothe. The sisters’ spokeswoman never managed donations. Especially since the advertiser is campaigning for the nuns to go back to the old people’s home. He has this in writing. “The team of helpers works harmoniously. There are only tensions with those three former supporters who now represent interests that counteract those of the nuns.”
The appearances on Facebook and Instagram were very helpful because the public became aware of the case. “Several attempts by the sisters to have more influence on the content posted there were fruitless.”
Hoping for a quick reply from Rome
In view of the embezzlement allegations, the three nuns are to be questioned by the police at the end of February in the presence of their spokeswoman, their lawyer told APA. “The allegations will then be easily refuted.” The nuns would only feel the desire to be able to lead their original monastic life in peace again. Incidentally, the complainant’s accusation that money from a book sale had not been transferred has now been refuted. According to the author, the book will only be billed in a few months – no money could have flowed from it yet.
It is up to Rome to decide what to do with the nuns in the monastery. “An answer was announced to us at the beginning of 2026, we hope that it will come soon,” said Wolfgang Rothe. The sisters are definitely happy to be back in Goldenstein. “With the support of the team of helpers, they can live well there. They are looked after and can live their everyday lives and their spiritual lives.”
Rothe: “It doesn’t work when old people are discarded”
The case of the elderly nuns Sister Bernadette, Sister Regina and Sister Rita has attracted worldwide attention in recent months. The three nuns returned to their former monastery from a retirement home in September against the wishes of their superior.
Rothe is known in Germany for supporting people in the church who have come under attack. He was also educated in Austria and in the early 2000s was secretary to the then Bishop of St. Pölten, Kurt Krenn, and vice-rector of the seminary there. He told the APA that he was helping the sisters because he found it outrageous how elderly people were treated. “The church has the claim to protect life from conception to death – so it doesn’t fit if old people are discarded.”
(Quelle: apa)
